Enumclaw Football 2011: Young, but Talented Hornets Look for Return to Playoffs

As Enumclaw's football team gets set to play on its new turf field, Coach Don Bartel knows who his defensive leader is, but the offense will be led by either a standout senior baseball player or a sophomore who has stood out this summer.

High school training camp, which started this week with two-a-days, is the foundation of any team’s quest for a successful season, and with a young but talented squad Bartel is looking for guys ready to battle every step of the way.

“We are looking for kids who can help us establish a tempo to win games,” said Bartel, who is in his fourth year.

The biggest battle is going to be at quarterback between Tyler Carlson and sophomore Peter Nordby to see who will direct the spread offense for the Hornets.

“Tyler is a Division 1-caliber baseball player so he was playing baseball all summer but has the experience from playing wide receiver and tight end,” Bartel said. “Nordby was with the team all summer and is more familiar with the offense.”

One of them will replace Dylan Podolak, one of three first-team All South Puget Sound League 3A performers in 2010. EHS also must replace Kevin Knapp and Terrenn Houk, who is playing football for Brigham Young University.

Enumclaw also has a big need for guys to step up on defense but fortunately it has an anchor in place at inside linebacker in senior Ryan Chynoweth. Bartel knows that Chynoweth’s play will be critical to the defensive success of the Hornets.

“Ryan is the leader on defense,” Bartel said. “We will also need guys in the secondary to really step up into their roles as well to replace the likes of Derek Forza and Terrenn Houk."

Bartel is excited about the team opening its season at home on its new Astroturf field Friday, Sept. 2, against Yelm, starting at 7 p.m. The team was 3-6 last year, and he hopes community pride in the new field will help spur the team to a return to the playoffs.

“For our young guys who have not experienced a Friday night football game in Enumclaw this is something special,” Bartel said. “It’s going to be a top-notch playing facility."

The field will have a new scoreboard, 25-second clock and other amenities that Bartel said should give his Hornets an even greater sense of ownership in the program.

“This is going to be huge from a developmental standpoint,” Bartel said.

He gave an example of a 7 on 7 tournament at Skyline High School this summer.

"We ran a play there three-straight times to one of our receivers,  and the third time he was wide open, and that was from being on field turf with land markers to help us run our offense,” the coach said.

The SPSL 3A league looks to be competitive once again, Bartel said, with perennial powerhouse Lakes again being tough.

“Lakes should be the most-talented team, and Peninsula is the most-polished team,” Bartel said. “Bonney Lake also has great schemes; those three teams should be at the top of the league.”